Freight transport continues to grow at a rapid pace, especially in the heavy-rail sector. Severe bottlenecks are seen in existing rail transfer terminals, which result in freight delays. Most such terminals have little or no right-of-way available for terminal expansion. Inefficiencies associated with moving containers from terminal to terminal by truck, to transfer between long-distance rail carriers (corridors), introduce significant delays, costs and inefficiencies. Further, truck activity on urban and suburban freeways cause increased fuel consumption and pollution emissions.
In connection with transportation logistics, market forces are driving the development of new technologies to improve the efficiency of freight transfer operations at distribution facilities, rail and port terminals. There is a need to improve the efficiency of freight transfer operations at distribution facilities, rail and port terminals.
There is also a need for handling, handing off and exchanging freight with a high degree of automation and increased freight transfer efficiency. Additionally, an efficient operational solution in connection with terminals and distribution facilities is needed, whereby an overhead crane can be used to shuffle containers between trains, ships and container chassis, with minimal and efficient handling, such as a single touch.
Thus, there is a need for the development of new technologies to improve the efficiency of freight transfer operations at terminals and distribution facilities. For example, a distribution system that provides an enhanced system for handling containers and simplifying the picking and placement processes for a crane operator, and enables a process that allows a crane operator and truck operator to work substantially independently, and thus not requiring real time coordination and hand-offs between them, would be considered an improvement in the art.